N Sitharaman Urges India To Defy Western Diktats To Build "Brand Bharat"

If we want to build 'Brand Bharat' we should not listen to the diktats of the west regarding what is right, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday at the India Ideas Conclave 2024 in Bengaluru.

"For millennia, we've been producing products, there's never been this point of exploitation. And suddenly for a traditional industry like, let's say, carpet making, you had a diktat coming from the buyers in the West saying, Oh, no, you're using children for making these carpets. We won't buy it from you," said Ms Sitharaman.

She said in India, families are engaged in making crafts, without denying children the schooling, because unless the craft is learnt very young, a craftsman can never master it.

"We've not denied children education.... you are not going to be told by others, you employ children. We need to stand up and say, we take care of their education," said Ms Sitharaman.

The kind of steps that need to be taken for better ethical production, which would make products superior, should come from us, and not be issued as western diktats, she added.

Ms Sitharaman also said while envisioning a better Bharath, our temples and our iconic tourist centres will have to be a lot more than what they are right now.

"They should be handled with a perspective that this is where India's image is being projected. We need better servicing, better catering, better tourist guides and better immersive experience... for that, today's technology being what it is, it is possible to build a better and immersive experience," she added.

She also said that it is important to convey to people that India's strength in science has been unbroken since ancient times.

Ms Sitharaman said India has a rich repertoire of knowledge to refer to, thanks to ancient texts such as 'Sushruta Samhita'.

"But are they just going to be referred to occasionally? Don't we want people to know what these are. These are brands for ancient India, which we refer to even today," she added.

According to Ms Sitharaman, the global talking points of today, such as sustainability and circular economy were once woven in the fabric of our existence. She said much before the west went 'vocal for local', India was doing it.

"The point, 'don't ask, sitting here, for salmon from Scotland' is very well taken, but that was part of India. Most of us ate the food which was available within your immediate neighbourhood. We didn't live like that because of our poverty. We lived like that because that was our lifestyle," she said.

Quoting Leo Tolstoy, she reiterated that it has always been that the Indians who have enslaved themselves to the diktats of the west and insisted that we change our lifestyles and thinking to build 'Brand Bharath'.

The eighth India Ideas Conclave, organised by India Foundation, an independent research centre focused on the issues, challenges and opportunities of the Indian polity, is being held in Bengaluru which will conclude on November 24.

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